A trip to the ER

Today we took our 2nd trip ever to the ER with one of our boys. What started out as a fun hike on a Saturday morning ended up with a little bit of blood sweat and tears. There was a vine hanging really low from one of the nearby trees that looked super fun to swing from, so Ryan and Aaron took many turns swinging, trying to make and beat silly records. Usually moms can't watch stuff like this that thier kids get into, for fear of what might happen. But, they are pretty cautious and it didn't seem too bad. I was even taking pictures (to be posted later). After Ryan said "just one more swing", he took ahold of the vine and lept into the air to abruptly meet the concrete streps below when the vine snapped! Usually I am pretty conservative and believe we can handle most things outside of the hospital or Drs. care. But this time I was really sure I was not equipped to handle it! I spelled it out (h-o-s-p-i-t-a-l) to Steve and he must have been in shock, because he thought we were ok. Ryan had a gaping would on his shin, revealing some tissues below that made me totally freak out, and a bit nauseas!! I quickly bandaged the wound before Ryan, who is screaming so loud all of Singapore can take part in his misery, could see the extent of damage done to his leg. It took 45 min to get home through the Sat. morning traffic. We prepared Ryan for the pain while we assessed and cleaned his wound, and I sat there feeling totally helpless as I knew it was beyond my control. What a helpless feeling for a mom! Steve kept looking at me to do something, but I just couldn't. At this point Ryan was screaming even louder and I KNEW I could not do this on my own. So Steve and I prayed for God to guide us, wether or not to take him to the hospital. God gave my husband wisdom and I took him in. We have a hospital within 10 min drive and we only waited about 10 minutes to see the Dr. Ryan was really brave. He shed a bit of tears through the pain, but refrained from screaming, and relyed on The Lord's strength to get through it all. We talked about Jesus' pain on the cross, so He understands the pain Ryan had to endure, and we spoke of things lovely, pure, noble and right in order toget our minds off the things that are causing pain and anxiety. One and 1/2 hours and 10 stiches later we depart and head back home. The biggest blessing from this came when all was done and the nurse was putting the bandage on. He said, "Mom, I think God allowed me to go through this for a reason". Wow! As you can imagine, I was so blessed and proud of my son! We talked a bit about why He allows us to go through difficulties and how He provides all we need to get through it. God is our Provider, Healer, Comforter, Guide and Friend! Praise Him!

Singapore Best Friends

The Erickson family came to visit singapore over Chinese New Year this Fenruary! We had so much fun seeing them again, just like a big family reunion. The children didn't miss a beat, and they are all pretty much old enough to go off and play so Tracy and I had some great time to talk.

We took them all to Malaysia to ride horses, which they loved, and also went bowling. We also had lots of fun just hangin out at the house.